Bookholder for bedsteads



Sept. 7, 1948. R. L. PHILLIPS BOOKHOLDER FOR BEDSTEADS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 25. 1944 JVVENTOE knmmvo LP/l/ll/Ai ATTORNEY:

Sept. 7, 1948.

R. L. PHILLIPS BOOKHOLDER FOR BEDSTEADS .2 shets-sneet 2 Filed May 25, 1944 e m n s 4 Patented Sept. 7, 1948 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE BOOKHO LDER FOR"BEDSTEADS Raymond L.'=PhillfpS, Minneapolis; A plication May 25 1944, Serial N0. 537,240

This invention relatesto new and I useful -im provements inbook holders for bedsteads'g and more particularly to such'a devic'ehaving' means for supporting a book holder upon theheadof a bed or othersupport whereby a book" or magazine supported thereon may be conformablyread by a person disposed in a reclining positions" It iswellknown thatwhen'pneis-in a reclining position as'When-restingin'a bed; that it-is rather uncomfortable and fatiguing to manually hold abook in a position 'wherebythe'reader may have a clear vision of 1 the -printed-'-'-matte'r.- In other words, to obtain the utmost' ln" comfort the printedmatter to be read should; in most cases; be supported a predetermined-distance iromtheeyes. This is more particularly true with a person wearingjglasses.

Numerous attempts have heretofore beerr'made to devise s'ome'sort-of book holderor rack'which would be readily positioned on the head-piece of a bedstead in such a manner a's-to support-aback or magazine th-ereon at a desired KdiStancefrom the readers eyes, whereby a reader may read -in comfort with a minimum of eye strain,'-*and-Witl iout suffering muscular fatigue; as when a book must be manually held in position-for=readirig- To the best-of-'my kn'owledge none of these at tempts have proven successful: for various' rest sons such as cost; inconvenience of manipulat tion, and the inability to support-a book -ln-a manner not to-obscure too muchof the reading matter thereof.

After considerableexperimental -work =in an atin position to support'a book at the proper-anglerelative to the readers eyes and wherebyfsub stantially none oftheprintedmatt'er of, the open pages of the book placed th-ereon 'will be concealed, and which'is so constructe'd that the reader, while in a reclining position, rnay readily vary the angle of the book-supporting -frame to accommodate his'line of vision'and'the'reby mini mize eye strain.

An object-of the present-invention therefore is toprovide a book-holder 'for-a bedsteadcom' prising a relativelylightinexpenslvelyconstructed open book-supporting'irame having a centrally disposed frame member; -atthe opposite-"smashiwhich are adjustably mounted-a pairoF-book holders which cooperate with the-central frame -ofvision of a person reclining inza bed"; inathea 3 Claims; (olcis asz) 2 .l member 'to support a book or magazine in aninverted position on the frame.

A further object is to provide a book holderof the class described comprising an open-frame having front, rear, and opposed'side'iramemem bers and a centrally disposed frame member having its ends secured to the front and rearframe members of the frame and disposed in a plane above the median plane of the frame; whereby said centrally disposed" frame member may en' gage and support the central portion of "a book; and a pair of book supporting members "orfrotls having their ends slidably engagedwiththe' front and rear frame members whereby they maybe laterally adjusted with respectto' the. central fram'emember thereby to accommodate the'bo'ok holder for supporting books "of'varie'd sizes and shapes without obscuring any of"the"prlnted"mat-" ter thereof.

' A furtherobl'ect 'is to 'providela book holder "of the class-comprising, an open book supporting frame including a relatively fixed centrally dis"- posed'frame member and a pair of oppositelydis; posed book holding elements adjustablyi mounted on 'said'frame-and a rod being slidably sup orted on the central frame member with its ends "inter-' secting' or passing over: said book'holdlng .elements and cooperating therewith 'tosupport the open'pag'es of a book ormagazine' in a manner whereby the book may'readilybe read bya per-5 son reclining in a bed.

Other objects of the invention reside in the simple'and inexpensive"construction of the entire apparatus whereby it may readily 'be'manufac tured in quantityproduction with'conventional' equipment'at lowcost; in'the unque arrangement ofthe adjustably mounted bookholding elements orrodsrelatively to the centrally disposedfram'e member; where-by when an-open bookisplaced' in an inverted position upon said centrally"dis"-- posedframe member and book-supporting elementsg the open pages of I the book-will besupportedin substantially a given plane,- disposed in substantiallyright angular relation'to'the line'- provision of sucha book holder. which is so con-2 structed'that the reader may readily and conveniently turn the pages of the'book without disrupting the position of the bookholder nor-the position of the book thereon; landin the'provislo'n of such a book holder which comprises extremely few parts, is light in weight, and is so constructed whereby the book supporting frame may readily and conveniently beadjusted to any angular p os'le' tiontoadapt the book-to-theline of visionb;

the reader, and also whereby the book-supporting frame may be folded into flatwise relation with its supporting means so that the device, when not in use, may readily and conveniently be folded into a relatively small bundle for storage in a small space.

Other objects of the invention will appear from the following description and the accompanying drawings and will be pointed out in the annexed claims. I

In the accompanying drawings there has been disclosed a structure designed to carry out the various objects of the invention, but it is to be understood that the invention is not confined to the exact features shown, as various changes may be made within the scope of the claims which follow.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a view showing my novel book holder attached to the head of a bedstead;

, Figure. 2 is a front view of the book holder mounted on a bedstead;

Figure 3 is a sectional view on the line 3-3 of Figure 1, showing the position of a book thereon from the readers side of the holder;

Figure 4 is a cross-sectional View on the line 4-'-4 of. Figure 3;

Figure 5'is a detail sectional view on the line 5-5 of Figure 2 showing the relative positions of the centrally disposed frame member and the adjustably mounted book holding elements;

' Figure 6 is a side view showing the book holder andits supporting frame folded into a small bundle for storage purposes;

7 Figure 7' is an enlarged detail'sectional view substantially on the line 'l---'! of Figure 2, showing the preferred manner of securing the ends of the central frame member to the front and rear frame members;

Figure 8 is a similar view on the line 8-8 of Figure 2 showing the preferred manner of slidably securing the ends of the book supporting elements or rods to the front and rear frame members of the supporting frame; and

Figure 9 is a View showing a slightly modified construction.

} In the selected embodiment of the invention herein disclosed, there is illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 the head end of a bedstead comprising the usual head board 2 and sides 3 upon which the usual spring, mattress, and bedding are supported in the usual manner.

,The novel book holder herein disclosed is shown comprising an open frame, generally designated by the numeral 4, which may be formed of wire or rod and is shown having front and rear frame members or rails 5 and 6, side frame members I, and a centrally disposed frame member 8, all 'of which are secured together to provide an integral frame structure.

One of the features of the invention reside in the particular arrangement of the centrally disposed frame member 3 with respect to the front, rear, and side frame members. As best shown in Figure 5, the centrally disposed frame member 8 is preferably located at an elevation above the median plane a-a of the open frame 4, as shown in Figures 5, 7 and 8. This may be conveniently accomplished by welding the terminals of the central frame member 8 to the upper faces of the front and rear frame members 5 and 6, as best shown in Figure 7. By thus securing the ends of the frame member 8 to the front and rear frame members 5 and 6, it provides a substantial tie therebetween and thereby greatly strengthens the frame,

Another feature of the invention resides in the provision of a pair of book-supporting elements 9 which have their ends slidably engaged with the front and rear frame members 5 and 6, whereby they may be relatively laterally adjusted thereon as indicated by the full and dotted lines in Figure 3, to adapt the holder for supporting books of various sizes.

The book-supporting elements or rods 9 may be mounted on the front and rear frame members 5 and G by simply forming terminal eyes I I therein which encircle their respective frame members 5 and 6, as illustrated in Figure 8. It will also be noted by reference to Figures 5 and 8, that the axes of the book-supporting elements or rods 9 are disposed in a plane below the median plane a-a of the frame 4.

The reason for locating the centrally disposed frame member 8 above the median plane a-a of the frame, and the book-supporting elements 9 below the plane aa, will be best understood by reference to Figure 4. By reference to this figure it will be noted that when a book is supported on the frame, the centrally disposed frame member 8 will be received in the center of the book between the open pages thereof, while the outer marginal edges of the open pages will be supported upon the supporting elements or rods 9 in such a manner that the faces of the open pages will be disposed substantially in a common plane which, when the frame 4 is properly adjusted with respect to the person's eyes, as shown in Figure 1, will be disposed in right angular relation to his line of vision, which is essentialto minimize eye strain and to obtain the utmost in comfort whenreading in an inclined position;

Another feature of the invention resides in the provision of means for preventing the pages of the book from sagging or dropping out of engagement with the book-supporting elements or rods 9, particularly when a large page is supported on the frame 4. I

The means provided for thus preventing the pages fromsagging or dropping out of engagement with the rods 9 is shown comprising a wire member, which will hereinafter be referred to as the page holder [0. This member is shown secured toa slide 20 mounted for sliding movement on the centrally disposed frame member 8, as indicated by the full and dotted lines in Figure 3. A suitable hand grip 30 depends from the slide 20 whereby it may be convenientlygripped by the reader, as will be understood by reference to Figure 4. The book holder [0 is disposed in crosswise relation to the frame member 8 and book holding rods 9, and its outer ends are disposed over the rods 9 whereby said ends may be supported on the ro ds 9 when a book is positioned thereon, as shown in Figures 3 and 4.

Means is provided for supporting the frame 4 upon the head 2 of a bedstead and, as here shown, comprises a U-shaped frame, generally designated by the numeral l2, comprising-upright legs 13, shown integrally formed with a lower horizontal cross member M. The U-shaped frame l2 may be simply and economically constructed of a suitable size wire as will readily be understood. Eyes l5 are formed at the upper ends of the legs 13 and are coiled about the rear frame member 6 adjacent to the side frame members 1 of the book holding frame 4, as shown in Figures 1, -2 and 3, whereby the frame 4 is pivotally connected to the supporting frame [2. r

Suitablehook elements I 6 are shown mounted on theuupright-ilegsjlfi of the sdpportingframe ll and are adapted to engage :the upper horizontal edge of theheadpiece -Z of the bedstead, asishown in-l igures -l and 2. The hooks l6 are so constructed that when in the position shown in Figure 1, they clampingly engage their respective upright legs I3 thereby to support the book holder as a whole in vertically adjusted position on the bedstead. To vertically adjust the supporting frame l2 upon the bedstead, it is only necessary to manually lift the frame upwardly wherebythe hooks I 6 release their gri-pqon-the upright legs I3. The construction of the hooks IBp-ho-wevel; is such that when the upward movement of theframe I2 is interruptedand the frame commences to move downwardly, thehooksle Willi'moveminto clamping engagement withi the uprli hts-l3 and thereby. Secure the supporting frame l2 in adjusted position on the bedstead. Suitable cushion elements ll are preferably provided-atthe lower end ofthesupporting frame 8 2 Ito prevent. .the frame from :marring the finishwfathexbedstead. V p

To angularly adjust the book-supporting frame 4 upon the upright supporting frame !2, suitable braces I8 are interposed between the upright legs I3 of the supporting frame and the side frame members 1 of the book holding frame A,

In Figure 1 I have shown the lower ends of the braces l8 pivotally connected to brackets l9, which brackets may be fixedly and permanently secured to the upright legs I 3, but not necessarily. If desired, they may be adjustably secured thereto. The upper or opposite ends of the braces I8 are pivotally connected to brackets H which are slidably supported on the side rails 1 of the book holding frame 4 and are secured in adjusted positions thereon by suitable wing nuts 22, so located that they may readily be grasped by a person reclining in the bed, as will be understood by reference to Figure 1.

In Figure 9 I have shown a structure in which the centrally disposed frame member 8 has been dispensed with and wherein the book supporting elements 9 have their terminals adjustably engaged with the side frame members I, and whereby they are disposed in substantially parallel relation to the front and rear frame members 5 and 6. The book or other reading matter is supported thereon in a manner similar to the book shown in Figures 3 and 4.

From the foregoing it will be noted that the novel book holder herein disclosed is extremely simple and inexpensive in construction, and it is so fashioned that it may readily and conveniently be adjusted to any desired position to best accommodate the vision of a person reclining in the bed as indicated in Figure '1, and whereby the reading matter, whether it be a book or magazine, may be positioned at the most desirable angle and distance to afford the most comfortable reading without eye strain.

The page holder Hlis important, as it retains the pages of the book or magazine in flatwise relation whereby they are not likely to sag between the centrally disposed frame member 8 and the book-supporting elements 9. It is slidably mounted on the central frame member 8 to permit the reader to readily shift it from one place to another, as indicated by the full and dotted lines in Figure 3, whereby it may always be positioned so not as to obscure any of the reading matter.

The novel book holder hereindisclosed also permits convenient turning of the pages of a book or m azine; ,Thisrmaybe readily-'raccomplishedeby simply sliding the book holder to out of engage mentiwith.the openpages of the'booksas indicated at (Pain "rFigure 3, -after"::which: the" reader 5 may readil'yilli-ftr one side- 0f lthecebook out of..=engage'-- mBHt Wdth' DIIBJ-Of- 121161 bookf holdingaelements- 9 and s'wirrg la' lpage downwardly as indicated: atN iniFiguredriLHei may: then readilyilift thecentral portion: of the book upwardlyoutxof engagement wlth the centrallylidisposed.frame'member 3 and swing the. pagerto ibe turned overthe' top. there of,::after i which 'the' boolc is iagainsreturneduto its reading position, shown in full lines in Figures 3 andi"4'.-* I

I To prevent the pages of the bookif-rom-sagglng downwardly; the: age=holderJo is returned to s. osition: un'der l the book: to support the pages thereof as "shown in- Figures 3 andd. Y 1 r In? thel dra'wings have showm'the supporting frame vI zias beingfisupported on th'e bedstead :b'y theielampingxhooks l6. 2 It is to beunderstood that iother form's -of 'clamplng devices; applicable for'Lthe' -purpose; 'may::.be utilized without departing'ifr om the scope :of the invention; If --desired, a suitableilight tnot shown) mayalso be provided on the supporting frame H! for illuminating the open face of the book or other reading matter.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that I have accomplished at least the principal objects of my invention, and it will also be apparent to those skilled in the art that the embodiments herein described may be variously changed and modified without departing from the spirit of the invention, and that the invention is capable of uses and has advantages not herein specifically described; hence it will be appreciated that the herein disclosed embodiments are illustrative only, and that my invention is not limited thereto.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a, device of the class described, a U-shaped support having means for securing it to a bedstead whereby it may be vertically adjusted thereon, an open frame pivotally mounted on said support and having front, rear, and opposed side frame members and a centrally disposed frame member, said centrally disposed frame member having its ends secured respectively to the front and rear frame members, rods slidably mounted on said front and rear frame members and movable thereon towards or away from said central frame member and cooperating therewith to support a book, said centrally disposed frame member and said rods being located respectively above and below the median plane of said frame.

2. In a device of the class described, a support having means for securing it to a bedstead whereby it may be vertically adjusted thereon, an open book-supporting frame having front, rear, and opposed side frame members and a centrally disposed frame member, said centrally disposed frame member having its ends secured respectively to said front and rear frame members, means pivotally mounting the rear frame member on said support, means for retaining the frame in angularly adjusted position on the support, a pair of book supporting rods slidably mounted on said front and rear frame members, one at each side of the centrally disposed frame member, said rods being movable towards or away from the central frame member and cooperating therewith to support books of various sizes, and a page holder slidably mounted on the centrally disposed frame member and laterally extending therefrom and having its terminals engaging said rods.

3. In a device of the class described, an upright supporthaving means for adjustably and removably securing it to a bedstead, an open book-supporting frame having front, rear, and opposed side frame members and a centrally disposed frame member, said central frame member having its ends fixedly secured to the front and rear frame members and whereby it is disposed in a plane abovePthe-median plane of the frame, means for retaining the frame in angularly adjusted position on said support, a pair of book supporting members having their ends slidably engaged with the front and rear frame members whereby they may be laterally adjusted with respect to the central frame member to adapt the book supporting frame for supporting books of various sizes, said book supporting members being disposed in a plane below the median plane of the frame, and a page holding rod disposed in crosswise relation to said book supporting members and having a slidable connection with the central frame member whereby it may be longitudinally adjusted thereon, the laterally extending ends of the page holding rod cooperating withsaid central frame member and said book supporting members to support the open pages of a book or magazine in substantially a common plane. v

- RAYMOND L. PHILLIPS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent: 

